Virgin Atlantic managers check in for training

Citation

(2008), "Virgin Atlantic managers check in for training", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 40 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/ict.2008.03740fab.001

Virgin Atlantic managers check in for training

Article Type: Notes and news From: Industrial and Commercial Training, Volume 40, Issue 6

Training has helped Virgin Atlantic’s management team to improve service to the airline’s 2 million customers who use Heathrow Airport, London, each year.

Virgin Atlantic recently launched new departure facilities at the airport’s Terminal 3. Part of BAA’s £1 billion investment plan for the terminal over the next 10 years, they include a private security corridor the airline’s first-class passengers and a new check-in area.

The changes in design and layout of facilities meant that Virgin Atlantic’s management team, responsible fo4r some 750 employees, had to implement new processes. In addition, the company needed to harness greater team cohesion, empower its leaders and encourage personal accountability, in order to continue to meet stringent safety standards and improve customer satisfaction.

Virgin Atlantic approached Richard Lowe, managing director of HR & Training Solutions, after hearing about the company’s “Best Year Yet” approach, which aims to provide clear and visible accountability.

The program started with a two-day kick-off event to put together a Heathrow Best Year Yet plan. This sought to involve Virgin Atlantic’s management team in thinking what needed to change over the following 12 months.

“The team members set clear goals that we felt would be stretching and defined clear commitments for how they needed to work more collaboratively to improve their results,” said Richard Lowe.

Andy Cross, head of organizational and people development at Virgin Atlantic, said: “Best Year Yet brought energy, structure and a winning process to the Heathrow team, enabling it to deliver the best results possible. Unlike many programs, Best Year Yet is rigorous in driving change proposals into reality. The regular review process, which includes development support tailored to team-specific needs, ensures that team members make the progress in the year that they need.”

According to Richard Lowe, the key factors in the program’s success are:

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  behaving decisively and ensuring everyone is clear that this is a fundamentally important program to individuals and the business;

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  setting clear expectations for attending the scheduled reviews;

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  being creative and ensuring that review meetings are integrated into individuals’ regular monthly meetings; and

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  nominating an enthusiastic and respected “champion” within the team to maintain the focus of the program between review meetings.